A few years ago, manufacturers began using reinforcing elements of this type in motor vehicle bodies in order to protect the legs of a pedestrian in case of a collision. In a collision between a pedestrian and a motor vehicle, on which the transverse bumper carrier is conventionally positioned at approximately the knee height of a pedestrian and the bumper is slightly flexible or non-existent underneath the bumper carrier, it is possible that the lower legs of the pedestrian are pulled underneath the vehicle while the torso impacts on the hood. This can lead to severe knee injuries of the pedestrian. A balanced reinforcement of the bumper below the knee assists in preventing the lower legs from being pulled underneath the vehicle such that the risk of injuries is reduced.
In order to fulfill its function, the lower reinforcing element needs to be connected to a main frame of the motor vehicle body that also carries or comprises the bumper carrier in a sufficiently rigid fashion. However, it was determined that it is difficult to produce this connection, in particular, on compact body constructions. For example, EP 1 188 643 A1 discloses a motor vehicle body with two longitudinal beams, on the front region of which a sub-frame is suspended that has an essentially quadrangular shape and carries the engine and the front axle of the motor vehicle. Although such a motor vehicle body makes it possible to mount the bumper carrier on the front ends of the longitudinal beams, the reinforcing element can only be mounted on the sub-frame that can vibrate relative to the longitudinal beams and therefore also relative to the bumper carrier due to its elastic suspension. In order to prevent that a reinforcing element mounted on the sub-frame deforms the bumper or impacts thereon while driving, it would be necessary to realize the clearance between the bumper and the reinforcing element in accordance with the freedom of motion of the sub-frame, but this measure would impair the stability of the bumper and also limit its effectiveness.
Consequently, the invention is based on at least one objective of disclosing a front section for a motor vehicle body, in which a mounting of the reinforcing element has a minimal space requirement and the reinforcing element can be fixed in an at least essentially vibration-free fashion referred to the main frame. In addition, other objectives, desirable features and characteristics will become apparent from the subsequent summary and detailed description, and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background.